Torque Specs for 258 Valve Cover

[bigposer]

Can anybody provide? I've heard everything from get as far as you can with your fingers (that's what she said?) to 28 inch/lbs (roughly 3 ft/lbs) to 8 ft/lbs.

Thoughts?

 

[jasonmark1993]

Just go by hand and feel. It will depend a little on what kind of gasket and valve cover you have.

I'm guessing its a sheet metal VC. Just tighten the bolts in some sort of pattern and watch for the gasket to start to compress. If the VC has a lip and you cant see it, just tighten them a little past where everything becomes tight. Use a 1/4 drive ratchet; you want tighten them as much that way. The end result is that they aren't very tight.

I'd use a very thin layer of ultra black RTV on the head surface and VC surface. Like paper thin; smear it with your finger.

Another thing to check for on the sheet metal VC is that the bottom is flat. Its very common for the areas around the bolt holes to get forced "down" towards the cylinder head. This makes it so the areas between the bolt holes don't have as much force as the areas around the bolt holes. If this is the case, use a small ball peen hammer or a 3/8 extension and hammer and tap them back flat from the bottom/inside of the VC.